Rashford dodges double duty

BURTON-ON-TRENT, England - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho had no influence over the decision to excuse Marcus Rashford from duty at the Under-21 European Championship, England manager Gareth Southgate said on Tuesday.

Southgate has frequently underlined the importance of giving young players tournament experience, but he selected Rashford for his senior squad, rather than let him play at next month's Under-21 Euros in Poland.

Mourinho had expressed reservations about Rashford going to Poland, but Southgate said the decision to call the 19-year-old up for England's forthcoming matches against Scotland and France was his alone.